Tiggy Legge Bourke (Nanny to William and Harry)

[Duchess]

Saw this query on another board and it piqued my interest. Does anyone have info on Tiggy? I know she's now married but what else?

 

[iowabelle]

She was in the news recently being critical of the PoW's continued ties to Michael Fawcett.

 

[tiaraprin]

She was in the news recently being critical of the PoW's continued ties to Michael Fawcett.

I agree with Tiggy on this one. Michael Fawcett is a disgrace. One may say he is Charles' "Paul Burrell" in the making.

 

[iowabelle]

I think he's much worse than Paul Burrell.

And Camilla seems to like this guy, too.

 

[tiaraprin]

I think he's much worse than Paul Burrell.

And Camilla seems to like this guy, too.

Well, is that so surprising??? He was the one who created her public affirmation after Diana's death. He played a great role in getting Camilla rehabilitated in the eyes of the public. She would not be where she is today if not for him, I feel.

Another reason I don't like the man!!

 

[Squidgy]

Sorry - I am completely out of touch (I follow Charles & Camilla as little as possible). Who is Michael Fawcett?

 

[iowabelle]

What can we say? Maybe it's easiest to say that he's Charles' "Mini Me."

He used to work for Charles as a valet/assistant (I'm not sure what his real title was). His nickname was "Fawcett the Fence," because he allegedly sold gifts given to the Prince and there was talk that he was giving the Prince kickbacks on the proceeds.

Now that he's no longer employed by the Prince, he seems to have become a contractor to the Prince, receiving at least £120,000 a year for organising Charles's social diary, £50,000 as fundraiser for the Prince's Foundation, £40,000 as an 'internal decoration' consultant, £25,000 to 'administer the Prince's watercolours' and £20,000 to buy gifts for the Prince.

So he's a personal shopper, director of decorations (is that floral arrangements, hanging pictures?), sort of personal secretary and charity fundraiser, as well as administrator of watercolors. A man for all seasons!

 

[Squidgy]

Thank you Iowabelle. "Charles Mini-Me" sounds like it sums up his position perfectly. I can't believe that Charles, after complaining so much about Diana's spending habits, pays someone 20,000 pounds just to shop for gifts. (At least Diana used to do alot of her own shopping). Sometimes (or I should say, most times) I wonder about the people that he has surrounded himself with.

 

[iowabelle]

I think the Queen and Prince Philip have been concerned about his extravagance from what I've read. (Charles seems to prefer to live life on the scale of his grandmother.)

Recently, there was an inquiry into the PoW's income and expenditures, and Fawcett's activities were a major part of it (and that's apparently why Charles had to let him go).

 

[tiaraprin]

What can we say? Maybe it's easiest to say that he's Charles' "Mini Me."

Don't forget his public relations job for making Camilla and Charles' relationship acceptable to the British public!!

It has also been alleged that he covered up the rape scandal of the palace servant who recently died and brought the allegedly raped servant's distasteful past to public knowledge.

The man is bad news whatever way you look at it!!

 

[Oppie]

Back to Tiggy. I think Henry is the godfather of her oldest son and William is the godfather of her younger son. (I think one is named Fredrick but I don't know about the other one) Maybe someone has more information ?

 

[Mapple]

Her grandfather, Sir Harry Legge-Bourke, was a long-serving Tory MP who for some time chaired the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers. He is known for never making a single speech in his 28 years in the House of Commons, although he once advised Prime Minister Attlee to 'change the bloody record'--Harry was briefly debarred from the Commons for this 'instruction'.

 

[Warren]

Prince William met 'the Rottweiler' Camilla Parker Bowles and she came out saying 'I need a drink' | Mail Online

Extracts from Penny Junor's new book 'Prince William: Born to be King: An Intimate Portrait' that relate to Tiggy Legge-Burke...

◙ . ◙ . ◙ . ◙ . ◙ . ◙

While William’s parents seemed hell-bent on self-destruction, the stability that came from other adults around him may well have prevented him from careering off the rails. One of these was a ditzy young aristocrat called Alexandra Legge-Bourke, known as Tiggy, whom Charles hired after separating from Diana to act in loco parentis to the boys at Highgrove, his home in Gloucestershire, when he had commitments elsewhere.

At 28, Tiggy was a bundle of fun — a cross between a loving, liberal mother and a slightly wild big sister. Unwisely, she said of her royal charges: ‘I give them what they need at this stage: fresh air, a rifle and a horse. She [their mother] gives them a tennis racket and a bucket of popcorn at the movies.’ Tiggy was refreshingly uncomplicated and William and Harry adored her. She helped them load their ponies into trailers and took them to gymkhanas and polo lessons. Together, they went rabbit shooting, fishing, climbing, hunting and go-karting.

Diana, however, felt usurped. She started a rumour that Tiggy and Prince Charles were having an affair, ‘proof’ of which was an innocent kiss on the cheek captured by photographers. Then the Princess left a series of disturbing messages on Tiggy’s answering machine. Her campaign culminated with Diana allegedly going up to her at the staff Christmas party and whispering: ‘So sorry about the baby.’ As the Princess knew, Tiggy had recently been in hospital for a minor operation — so the implication was that she’d had an abortion. This was untrue and resulted in a lawyer’s letter — but Diana continued to resent Tiggy.

When she discovered that Tiggy had helped Charles with the invitations to William’s confirmation, in March 1997, she went through the roof. If ‘that woman’ was going to be there, she threatened, she wouldn’t be attending herself. What should have been a joyous and spiritually meaningful occasion for Prince William turned into another family nightmare. Not only was Tiggy banned from the confirmation, but his grandmother, Frances Shand Kydd, was also absent — because Diana was going through a phase of not speaking to her. In fact, the Princess had been asked to invite 40 people, but invited no one.

William’s love for his mother has never diminished. But even as a teenager, he was not blind to some of her more bizarre behaviour — particularly when it caused evident pain to people he loved. When it came to deciding whom to invite to the Fourth of June, Eton’s equivalent of speech day, he deliberately chose Tiggy — and told his parents that he didn’t want them there. At the end of the day, William went home to find his mother distraught and in tears.
... ... ...

The first call alerting the Royal Family to Diana’s accident in Paris came through to Balmoral at one o’clock on the morning of Sunday, August 31, 1997. Later that day, William and Harry had been due to fly to London and Tiggy had — ‘by the grace of God’, as the Queen said — just arrived [at Balmoral] to accompany them home.
.

 

[Artemisia]

I always thought Diana's attitude towards Tiggy was one of the least pleasant aspects of her character, to put it mildly. The incident during the reception was particularly cruel. I didn't know Tiggy was at Balmoral when the boys received news of their mother's death; I understand why Her Majesty called it God's grace.

 

[Mirabel]

But in fairness, Diana was not the only one suspicious of Charles and Tiggy.
I remember reading gossip columns at the time, and there were lots of rumors (not all started by Diana).

 

[Artemisia]

Any woman with more or less regular contact with the Prince of Wales was going to be suspected of having more than friendly relationship.
Diana made sure that muted rumours turned into (unfounded) allegations and open witch-hunt of the poor woman. At least, that's how I see things.

 

[Nice Nofret]

But in fairness, Diana was not the only one suspicious of Charles and Tiggy.
I remember reading gossip columns at the time, and there were lots of rumors (not all started by Diana).

How would you know by whom (or not) those rumers where started?

 

[Warren]

But in fairness, Diana was not the only one suspicious of Charles and Tiggy.

I'd think most people would draw a distinction between "[being] suspicious" and inferring that someone had an abortion (at a Christmas party no less!).

 

[NGalitzine]

Any woman with more or less regular contact with the Prince of Wales was going to be suspected of having more than friendly relationship.
Diana made sure that muted rumours turned into (unfounded) allegations and open witch-hunt of the poor woman. At least, that's how I see things.

Apparently Tiggys lawyers felt that way too.

 

[EIIR]

Was there anything that led Diana to believe Tiggy and Charles were having an affair? Or was it all just a figment of Diana's lively imagination?

 

[Mirabel]

How would you know by whom (or not) those rumers where started?

That's true, I suppose.
But there were quite a few, and I read them in US media, and I don't think Diana had that wide a range?
But I might be wrong about that.

 

[NGalitzine]

I don't think there was ever anything to suggest that the relationship went beyond friend/employee. It was during one od Diana's more imaginative spells I believe. What really got people buzzing was when word got out that Tiggy had been to her lawyers about Diana. The image of Diana being called into court on slander charges and what Diana would do next had some people quite excited for awhile.

 

[Artemisia]

I don't think there was ever anything to suggest that the relationship went beyond friend/employee. It was during one od Diana's more imaginative spells I believe. What really got people buzzing was when word got out that Tiggy had been to her lawyers about Diana. The image of Diana being called into court on slander charges and what Diana would do next had some people quite excited for awhile.

If I am not mistaken, Tiggy's decision to consult lawyers was with full knowledge and consent of Her Majesty. Apparently, she was quite horrified with Diana's attitude towards Tiggy - especially since the latter was guilty of only caring for and bonding with the boys.

 

[aigulminimalist]

Idk. I think they did have a "fun".
Can't blame Charles.

 

[O-H Anglophile]

Diana seemed to have come up with this "relationship" between Tiggy and Charles after the separation. This was after Charles had resumed his relationship with Camilla.

I think she was jealous of her sons' relationship with Tiggy and lashed out because of that. Charles had hired Tiggy as a caregiver for the boys after the separation. Charles knew her family.

 

[Pranter]

I remain unconvinced there wasn't more between Charles and Tiggy ...some of their body language seems rather familiar. Not that what Diana said/did was appropriate.

LaRae

 

[Nico]

I remain unconvinced there wasn't more between Charles and Tiggy ...some of their body language seems rather familiar. Not that what Diana said/did was appropriate.

LaRae

I presume Tiggy was some kind of a breath of fresh air in the living hell of the Wales marriage. If not a bit enamoured, Charles was above all, i guess, deeply thanksfull of Tiggy to be around the boys during this difficult time.

 

[Pranter]

The boys seem to have very good and positive memories of Tiggy so I would say she did a good job with them. I really don't care about her activities, or lack thereof, with Charles. That would be between them.


LaRae

 

[Curryong]

I think Tiggy probably had a bit of a crush on Charles, and he was fond of her, except for her smoking and certain incidents that Diana also objected to, like the abseiling Harry did which was captured by a photographer. Don't think it was an affair though, and wasn't Tiggy dating Mark Dyer for a while during this time?

I'm a Diana fan but I do think she was jealous of Tiggy, who had an easy and uncomplicated friendship with her sons (especially Harry) that has gone on to this day. She seemed afraid that someone would steal her boys' love away from her. Diana was very insecure at the time and likely to lash out, but accusing Tiggy of being pregnant by Charles certainly wasn't her finest hour.

 

[Denville]

Not to mention slanderous